South Korea Interested in Joining AUKUS Agreement
On 1 May, Australia and South Korea concluded the Foreign and Defense Ministers’ (2+2) Meeting in Melbourne. The conference saw high-level discussions on security cooperation between the democracies. Some of the topics included joint military exercises such as the 2023 Talisman Sabre, K-9 Howitzer and Redback IFV production, and joint approaches to addressing challenges such as North Korean nuclearization and Russian aggression in Ukraine.
According to South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, the two sides also discussed the possibility of South Korean involvement under the AUKUS framework. In particular, South Korea would cooperate with the US, UK and Australia under the agreement’s second pillar which seeks to enhance cooperation in defense research and production across multiple areas such as AI and hypersonics. Beyond pooling resources for research and production, the pillar also seeks to create a regulatory framework which breaks down existing barriers to deeper cooperation.
The official joint statement which followed the meeting also declared bilateral intentions for closer cooperation in these areas.
“The Ministers affirmed their commitment under the MOU on Cyber and Critical Technology Cooperation. They agreed to expand cooperation in critical emerging technology standards-setting, including in artificial intelligence (AI), quantum and telecommunications technologies, including through the next Cyber and Critical Technology Policy Dialogue. […] The Ministers highlighted the value of co-producing defence equipment and co-pioneering new markets on the basis of ROK-Australia defence industry collaboration and agreed to continue related discussions in the future.”
The US, UK and Australia had already made their intent to expand cooperation with other partners under this framework clear in previous statements. In particular, the AUKUS Defense Ministers’ Joint Statement released on 8 April reads:
“Since the inception of AUKUS, our nations have been clear in our intent to engage others in Pillar II projects as our work progresses. Over the past two and a half years, we have built a strong, trilateral foundation for delivering advanced military capabilities at speed and scale. AUKUS partners have developed principles and models for additional partner engagement in individual Pillar II projects and will undertake consultations in 2024 with prospective partners regarding areas where they can contribute to, and benefit from, this historic work.”
South Korea is not the only country looking to cooperate with the three AUKUS partners. There has been much signaling and speculation regarding Japanese cooperation and, more recently, partnership with New Zealand. Bringing both Japan and South Korea into AUKUS could also help smooth some of the political rifts which limit cooperation between the two nations.